Betsy Saina finished second in the 5,000-meter run at the Stanford Invitational on Friday, March 29, 2013, a finish that might come as a damper in her usual performances. However, the senior from Kenya set a new standard for Iowa State.

Saina finished with a time of 15:12.05, shattering the previous Iowa State outdoor record in the event held by Lisa Koll with a time of 15:17.76 seconds.

Saina ranks fourth all-time in the 5,000-meter race in NCAA outdoor history. Just more than four seconds behind the NCAA record set by Jenny Barringer of Colorado in 2009, with a time of 15:07.64.

With her performance in the 5,000-meter race at Stanford, Saina eclipsed the 2013 World Championships “A” Standard qualifying time of 15:18. That makes Saina eligible to for the World Championships in Moscow next August if chosen to compete for her native Kenya.

First-place finisher Alisha Williams of BRC/Adidas team completed the race in 15:09.73, the fastest mark in the world this season. Saina, now holding the second-fastest time in the 5,000-meter this season, headlined the event for Iowa State who had several athletes competing.

Lisa Koll-Uhl, competing with Nike and training under ISU coach Corey Ihmels, finished fifth in the race. ISU senior Meaghan Nelson finished in 15:51.63, good for 15th place.